Business and Education Alliance

Programs

1. During the 2024-25 program year, BEA successfully convened the Colorado Career Advising Summit on February 25-26, 2025, in Colorado Springs,bringing together 474 Colorado stakeholders to advance career-connected learning statewide. Commissioned by the Colorado Department of Education, this free professional development conference served as a critical convening platform for diverse workforce development stakeholders, including K-12 career advisors, post-secondary counselors, employers across multiple industries, workforce development professionals, and talent development organizations. The summit facilitated strategic conversations, collaborative problem-solving, and professional development focused on strengthening the connections between education systems and workforce needs throughout Colorado. Through curated programming featuring industry experts, innovative practitioners, and evidence-based strategies, the conference equipped participants with actionable tools.

   $179,676 spent$337,900 earned by the program
   94% of program spending

2. During the 2024-25 program year, BEA provided design thinking consulting services to support career-connected learning initiatives in two Colorado school districts through three distinct projects. These TAC consulting engagements applied proven methodologies to help school leaders develop tailored, sustainable approaches to career-connected learning. Through collaborative stakeholder engagement processes, BEA facilitated strategic planning that resulted in actionable frameworks for aligning education and industry partnerships within each districts unique context. The consulting work emphasized building organizational capacity, creating repeatable systems, and establishing structures that will continue to benefit students and educators beyond the initial project timeline. These partnerships demonstrate BEAs ability to translate best practices in workforce development into practical, community-specific solutions that can scale across diverse educational settings.

   $5,989 spent$23,825 earned by the program
   3% of program spending

3. During the 2024-25 program year, 410 high school students earned Professionalism101 certificates upon completing comprehensive soft skills training in workplace readiness and professional behavior. BEAs innovative curriculum addresses the disconnect between education and workforce readiness through two complementary programs. Professionalism101 delivers essential soft skills training through self-paced, experiential learning that students apply in real-world contexts, building competencies in professional communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and workplace behaviors. The Postsecondary & Workforce Readiness program provides systematic career exploration, helping students discover their interests and aptitudes, investigate career opportunities, and develop clear pathways from high school through postsecondary education to employment. This comprehensive approach helps students understand the purpose behind their education, creates generational hope, and addresses

   $2,543 spent$9,594 earned by the program
   1% of program spending

4. During the 2024-25 program year, CCL MARKETPLACE facilitated 14,135 direct student-professional career exploration interactions, representing a 19% increase over the previous year and demonstrating continued growth in connecting K-12 students with industry professionals. The platform supported 70 completed high school internships, providing students with substantive workplace experiences that develop employability skills and career readiness. These interactions included classroom presentations, site visits, job shadows, and both virtual and in-person internships across multiple industries. The platforms scalable technology infrastructure enabled education and industry partners to create authentic, repeatable career-connected learning opportunities that address workforce pipeline challenges. As the network effect continues to strengthen with expanding professional participation, the platform demonstrates its capacity to systematically close skills gaps by building

   $2,430 spent
   1% of program spending

The 4 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $190,638.